A Pain in the Toe (update)

This week I bit the bullet and went in for a podiatrist appointment to try and determine what the heck was going on with my left foot - specifically, my left big toe.   I've been having some pain with significant upward flexion of the joint.   I notice it most during lunges in Body Pump when that left leg is back and quite a bit of weight is placed on that big toe.  How important is your big toe in running?  Pretty darn important as it turns out.   That big toe can carry up to twice the load of the lesser toes - and up to 40-60% of your body weight!   I've noticed when I run up hills and push off forcefully that there is some discomfort in that first metatarsal joint.   While the discomfort in running has been minimal, it was the significant pain during lunges in Body Pump that prompted me to finally go in and get it checked.

I was nervous and braced myself for the doctor to tell me that I had to take some time off.   He poked and prodded a bit, watched me walk in bare feet, and moved the toe this way and that and asked if I felt any pain.   After a "hmmmmm" from him, he had me go to the next room and get some x-rays.  Gulp.  I knew that a stress fracture wouldn't show up on the x-ray unless it was already healing, but I was still nervous about what we would find.  Three x-rays later, I was sent back to the room to wait.   I had asked for a copy of the x-ray, and a few minutes later the doctor came in and handed me this:

I almost hugged the podiatrist.  I refrained, but just barely.  That picture up above?  That is my mostly healthy, albeit slightly deformed, foot!  No stress fracture suspected, no injuries to the sesamoids, no plantar fasciitis.  But see the reduction in space between that first metatarsal and proximal phalange? That's where it hurts.  He basically concluded that I have a bit of "hallux limitus" (stiff big toe) due to the fact that my big toe (over time) has bent to conform to the running shoes I have been wearing, causing the very early stages of a bunion.   The bend in that big toe has reduced the space available for the first metatarsal to move the toe into proper dorsiflexion, causing pain.   The good news?  He's hopeful we can help that big toe move back into place by moving to roomier shoes and using a product called "Correct Toes" to help restore the proper spacing between the toes.   While I'm not thrilled to hear the word "bunion", I am very happy that nowhere in the diagnosis were the words "stress fracture".  WIN.

The (slightly) bad news?  Time for new roomier shoes.  I may have to say goodbye to my beloved Mizunos (or at least go a size up) since he fussed at me for running in a shoe where my toe is so close to the end of it.  I have tried to go up in size but feel like I'm running in boats.  Guess I'll just have to get used to that if I want to stay in the Wave Riders.  I'm not loyal to one particular brand though (I have Adidas and New Balance shoes in my rotation), so I'm hopeful I can find something I like with a wider toe box, but that still feels okay on my narrow feet.

I'm a very happy camper in that I am able to keep running and have the green light to continue training. That was the best news I'd gotten all day!  I left the podiatrist's office with a much happier disposition.  For now it's time to order some Correct Toes, pick up a pair of roomier shoes, and take it easy on the lunges.   Thank you for all of your positive vibes - they must have worked!

Anyone have recommendations on shoes they like with roomier toe boxes?   Has anyone used a toe spacer like Correct Toes?

The Slow (oh, so slow) Return to Running

When runners are injured they often go one of two ways: 1) They can’t run, so therefore they try to put running totally out of their mind. They do other stuff, see some non-running friends, and generally just try to pretend they aren’t totally devastated by not being able to participate in their favorite sport. Or 2) Despite their best efforts, their brains can only seem to think about running. So they read everything they can about running, they plot their return-to-running schedule out with military precision, they live vicariously through others who are racing their fall marathons, and they may or may not purchase a few (okay, more than a few) pieces of running attire to cheer themselves up and ensure they are properly outfitted when they FINALLY get back on the roads.

I’ve been both of those injured runners before, but I’ll give you one guess as to which camp I fell into this time.   While I am SLOWLY, SLOWLY returning to running, I can’t seem to stop the urge to remain immersed in the running culture while I’m forced to take a break.   From watching the live broadcast of the Chicago marathon to stalking some of my favorite bloggers for training updates and race recaps (Shout out to RunnerUnderPressure, MsFitRunner, KrisLawrence, and JenChosesJoy!), I’ve definitely found myself with running on the brain.

This week I’m in the run/walk phase of my comeback - and I’m only running a total of 30-35 minutes at a time. It’s slow going and while my heart, legs and lungs are burning with the desire to just RUN already, I’m trying hard to be smart and ease back into it safely.   Here’s what the last week looked like:

Monday: 30 minutes of 3 min run, 1 min walk + Core class

Tuesday: Body Pump + Spin class – I was in charge of teaching the little spin “class” with my parents this week. It was so fun!

Wednesday: 30 minutes of 5 min run, 1 min walk + Core class

Thursday: Body Pump

Friday: 30 minutes of 7 min run, 1 min walk + Spin class

Saturday: 35 minutes of 7 min run, 1 min walk + elliptical

Sunday: Body Pump

The leg is feeling…okay.   A day after I posted about my awesome bone stimulator it started malfunctioning – so now it’s just me and my hopes and prayers that the leg is healed.   I was hoping to have the bone stimulator as insurance – I’d planned to use it once a day or so for a few more weeks for an extra boost of healing power. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I’m hoping that it’s a sign from above that this thing is healed and that I won’t need a bone stimulator again.   Let’s just go with that theory, shall we?

The running has been GREAT, but also a bit anxiety-filled. With each step I’m hyper-aware of the leg and every little twinge has me wondering, “Is it okay? Is that just the soft tissue adjusting? Should I stop? Keep running?”   I know that with stress fractures you can have phantom pains as the soft tissue and area around the fracture adjusts, but MAN, it is tough not to panic at each twinge.   Other than that, I’m feeling good, but SLOW.   I know it’ll take me a while to build back my pace and endurance.  With all of the marathons this weekend I’m been chomping at the bit to get back out there. I’ve seen some super fast times thrown down by some speedy ladies and I’m so anxious to get back into training so that I can put in the work towards a goal of my own. It’s been so inspiring to see everyone run so well, but as an injured runner I can feel a bit disheartened at times when I think about how far I have to go to claw my way back to where I was. But I am just so happy to be back on the comeback road! I know it will take quite a while to rebuild my fitness, but I’m grateful to be able to get back to something I love.   I know I’ll get there. I just have to be patient and trust in the journey.

For now I’ll just focus on enjoying the beautiful fall weather and be thankful for each pain-free step that I’m able to run!

How was your week? Which camp of injured runner do you fall into? 

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Stress Fracture Rehab – A Bone Stimulator + Cross Training

It’s been three weeks since the bone scan where I found out that I had a stress fracture in my tibia. Thankfully we caught the fracture early enough that I wasn’t put in a boot. I’ve been able to walk around pain-free from the very start and I’ve been spending these last few weeks doing some cross training and strength training to keep my body strong and (more importantly) to keep my sanity.

To not be running each morning (especially on these perfect fall weather days) feels so alien to me. I miss my morning routine of getting up and greeting the sunrise while out on the roads, then having a few moments to myself post-run to stretch and make my post-run smoothie before my little ones wake up to start the craziness of the day.   But since I haven’t been able to run, I’ve had to find other ways to keep sane while not putting too much pressure on my leg. Here’s what I’ve been up to for the past few weeks:

Monday – I’ll hop on the elliptical for 30-40 minutes and then take my core work class. My parents live in town, so I've talked them into meeting me at the gym for the core class.  It’s been so fun to have them in class with me!

Tuesday – Body Pump and spin class. Since I haven’t been taxing my leg muscles with running, I’ve been going heavier with my weights in Body Pump for the squat and lunge tracks. It’s not running, but at least my legs feel sufficiently fatigued afterwards!   Later in the afternoon my parents meet me at the gym where we take turns “teaching” our own spin class! Since the room at the gym isn’t in use, they let us use it for our workout. It’s a blast and we have a good time trying to one-up each other with our crazy music choices!

Wednesday – Core class and either walking on the treadmill or elliptical

Thursday – Body Pump

Friday – Spin class

Saturday – Spin class and walking

Sunday – Body Pump

I’ve also been making sure I’m getting calcium and vitamin D each day – through both my diet and a supplement – and prioritizing good sleep and nutrition in an effort to give my body everything it needs to heal my leg.

After doing some research and reading this great post, I opted to purchase a bone stimulator off of Ebay. I’ve been using that on my leg twice a day for the last few weeks and I’m hoping that it’s giving my bone a little boost to heal more quickly.   It’s a painless treatment of 20 minutes at a time, and according to research can heal the bone 33% faster. For an injury like mine with a healing time measured in weeks, that can cut a significant amount of time off!

I head back to the sports doc next Friday (10/17) and hopefully my follow up will show that the bone is healing nicely. For now, I’ve been cleared to start adding in a tiny bit of walk/running (intervals of 3 min running, 1 min walking for 30 minutes). I got to do my first “run” back on Saturday and the 30 minutes flew by! I was so happy to be running again. I’m being extra cautious and won’t try a consecutive run until a week or two from now. Even though I know I have a long way to go to build up my mileage to anywhere near where it was, it’s a step in the right direction.   Here’s hoping the comeback will continue to proceed smoothly!